Beaver: Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Cards

Beavers are awesome. End of post.

You want more?

They actually change ecosystems and create habitats.

More still?

Oh ok then….

So, expanding on the beaver as an architect, they build dams out of trees, in water, to protect their homes – lodges. Elementally speaking, we’ve got earth and water right there and the beaver is actually manipulating earth energy to affect water energy, using the physical resources to affect the spiritual or emotional world. I think that’s awesome. They create their very own safe place, the beaver pond, to make their home. They venture out a lot but they always have this wonderful family base to return to.

Taking this idea and using it will look like different things to different people. It might be about creating a safe place through visualisation or meditation. It might be about having an object, a crystal for example, which becomes a touchstone for safety. Something physical which you can reach for to remind yourself that you are safe.

Dams are going to be a major theme in this post and this card could be a warning that you’re damming up your emotions, trying to control how you feel. However it could also be highlighting the importance of having time and space in your life which feels safe, which feels in control. Somewhere you can retreat to when you’re exhausted from emotional work. Perhaps the beaver is asking you to make sure you have this in your life, you need to secure your foundations before you can build a magnificent palace.

The pond they create through building their dam protects them against predators and they build canals to connect them to the resources in their habitat more easily. This is much more efficient, much safer, than getting out on land and heaving a tree back to the pond. Instead they stay in the water as much as possible and use the water to float the tree to where it needs to be. They are efficient and industrious throughout their work. They can fell a tree in just a few hours by chewing just enough and then leaving things to gravity. As well as trees, they use mud and stones in their building which they carry with their forepaws.

These marvellous creatures are not limited by the existing habitat, if it isn’t working for them they literally change it. They create what they need. The beaver really shouts at us to build and shape and create our lives and our environments. To build our homes and our dreams. But the beaver also reminds us that strong, powerful, life changing things require work and commitment.

The dam is not a one time thing, the beaver, like any good builder, knows that maintenance is key. So they keep checking for damage and leaks and repairing them. And if the dam is significantly damaged, they can rebuild them literally overnight.

Talking of attack and safety, their home will have numerous underwater exits so they never find themselves trapped by predators. And most of their predators are land animals so the underwater entrance makes for an excellent preventative tactic. This also means that when the pond freezes over, they can still get to their food store which is under the water. Be vigilant, plan ahead, problem solve and have multiple escape routes planned.

Looking more widely, beaver dams can have a huge impact on their surroundings. Bacteria which live in the dam can remove pesticides from the water which is incredible. The dams filter water and help prevent floods and droughts. They create wetlands and ponds and space for other species to live.

Stay with me for this, it’s a long sentence but an amazing illustration of the complex web of life:

Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone which led to less elk…
so less elk were eating the willows…
which led to more willow for beavers…and more beavers led to more dams…
and more dams led to more ponds…
and more ponds led to more wildlife!

This blows my mind!

To build these earth changing structures, the beavers work closely together as a team. They are determined, they are persistent, they are powerful. They work hard but it’s not all work and no play, the beaver is a family orientated animal and after the building is done for the day, they head back to the lodge and relax with a nice bit of bark.

And they deserve a break. They’ve had a tough time of it. They were hunted for fur and for their testicles which were used medicinally for male fertility. They’ve also come under fire because they change the water landscape creating ponds where some humans don’t want them.

And if you want still more reasons why beavers are awesome just look at that card and the cute little face!